The Legend of the Origin of Sri Jagannatha and His Temple

1JUNE - 2017

Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669

The Legend of the Origin of

Sri Jagannatha and His Temple

Dr. Subas Pani

The origin of Sri Jagannatha and especially his unique iconography is shrouded in mystery. Scholarshave tried to find a satisfactory explanation to this but most have ended with speculation based ontheir own theories and there is hardly any consensus among them. Three ancient texts, the Skanda

Purana, the Niladri Mahodayah and the Bamadeva Samhita are considered the three importantancient texts for the study of the Jagannatha faith. Of these the Sri Purushottama Mahatmya in theUtkal Khanda of the Skanda Purana is an important source for the legendary account of the originof Sri Jagannatha and his temple, Srimandira. A critical edition of this text has since been published bythe temple administration along with a prose rendering in Odia. Given below is an English renderingof the legend as found in this text. It is neither a word by word nor a literal translation of the text butrather a simple and free flowing translation of the content in brief. There are other accounts of theorigin of Sri Jagannatha in Odia literature, especially the Mahabharata of Adi Kavi Sarala Dasa andDeula Tola of Sishu Shankara Dasa. No comparative or critical study of these is intended here. TheEnglish version of the original Sanskrit text of an important source material is provided so as makethis accessible to a wider audience.

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Odisha ReviewISSN 0970-8669

Jagannatha, the Supreme Divinity

Sri Jagannatha the primordial God, theSupreme Divinity who is ageless and is everpresent, has no end or beginning. He is the makerof the entire universe and it is impossible to fathomhis great mystery. He deigns to appear in differentaeons in different manifestations as an act of Graceand a part of his divine play or leela. He hasmanifested in the present body made of wood(darabatanu) and is worshipped in his foursomeappearance in the Srimandira at Srikshetra Purigiving ineffable delight and succour to hisinnumerable devotees.

Transmission of the legend as recorded in

the Skanda Purana

The tale of the mysterious appearance ofSri Jagannatha has been transmitted and recordedin the Purushottama Kshetra Mahatmya ofUtkala Khanda of Skanda Purana, a majorscripture of the Indian heritage. The great sageJaimini recounts this legend to an assembly ofascetics this legend of the manifestation ofJagannatha in four figures with bodies of wood.Initially Shiva or Maheswara had told the sacredaccount to his son Skanda, also known asKumara and Kartikeya who in turn recounted thesame in an assembly of Siddhas and deitiesresiding in the holy Mandara mount where sageJaimini overheard it.

The sacred geography of Purushottama

Kshetra

Explaining the sacred geography of theregion of appearance of Sri Jagannatha, Jaiminimentions that this sacred site at PurushottamaKshetra or Srikshetra Puri is like the body of theSupreme Divine and is the holiest of all holy sitesand is justly famous on account of its associationwith the name of his present manifestation,

Jagannatha. This sacred region spreading over tenyojanas is an elevated ground rising from the seaand is surrounded by golden sands all around.TheBlue Hill, Nilachala located at its centre appearsfrom far like a breast of Mother Earth who hadbeen rescued from the nether worlds by Vishnuin one of his incarnations. Recalling this episodeBrahma felt sad and prayed to the SupremeDivinity to release him from the task of creatingthe living beings again and again after eachapocalypse. In answer to his prayers the Lord ofthe Universe, the supreme divine Jagannathaappeared before him and revealed the events tobe. Reassuring Brahma, Jagannatha declared thatthe land from Ekamra Kshetra, Bhubaneswarextending towards the Southern Sea is mostsacred and of the holiest of holy site surroundingthe Blue Hill is most secret and not even accessibleto Brahma, let alone the gods, asuras and men.There in the Purushottama Kshetra, I will bodilyappear and reside for ever going beyond the limitsof existence. The Kshetra is not affected by thecycles of creation and apocalypse or the greatdeluge. Behold the sacred signs of my sacreddiscus. Here you can see me near the sacredageless banyan tree or the Kalpa Bata in theinteriors of the blue region. On the banks of thesacred water of the Rohini tank next to it you cansee me with bare eyes. Proceed now to thissacred secret site. By the influence of my divinemaya or cosmic illusion, the site had remainedunrevealed in the Vedas, Puranas and Shastras.Pleased with your prayers I will now reveal myselfthere. Having declared thus the supreme divinityPurushottama disappeared from the vision ofBrahma.

Brahma visits Purushottama Kshetra

Brahma then proceeded to the sacredPurushottama Kshetra where he found the

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Supreme Divinity Sri Jagannatha present as BlueMadhava made of dark hued precious stone anddecorated with many sparkling jewels. As he wasoffering his obeisance to the Nilamadhava, a crowfell in the Rohini Kunda and after praying to thedeity assumed a four armed shape and ascendedto heaven. Yama, the God of Death who was alsoa witness to this miraculous event became worriedabout the curbing of his influence in this sacredarena and prayed to Nilamadhava to restore hisinfluence over mortals. Madhava just smiled andglanced at Mahalakshmi who consoled Yamasaying that his prayers were of no avail. Onaccount of the eternal presence of SriPurushottama in this sacred site even beyond thekalpa or aeons ending with the great cataclysmand deluge, every creature entering this domainwould be freed from the bond of mortal existence.Yama or Death could not have any influence here.Mahalakshmi then narrated what she saw earlierat this holy ground. During the end of creation,Pralaya when the great deluge spread hugeoceans of water all over the earth, the agelessRishi Markandeya could not find any ground forshelter for seven aeons and at last saw a greatBanyan tree appearing in this island ofPurushottama Kshetra looking like a boat floatingin the vast waters. As he swam ashore, he hearda strange boyish voice inviting him. Mahalakshmiinformed him that the huge tree found in the centreof the island like some great sacrificial post isindeed the body of God and even during the ragingstorms of Pralaya, its branches and leaves do notso much as flutter. As the great sage was struckwith awe and wonder at this strange tree, hebeheld me and Narayana in his four armedappearance as Madhava. As he offered hisprayers, the Lord advised him to look at the boysleeping on the cup like leaf, he the very Soul ofTime itself and to seek shelter within its wide open

mouth. Following these instructions the sageclimbed the great tree and feasting on thenectarine beauty of the divine child entered itsmouth and passing through the throat, steppedinside its stomach. There to his utter surprise thesage found the fourteen worlds, Brahma and theguardians of the directions, Siddhas,Gandharvas, gods and goddesses, rivers,forests, cities, villages, the earth with all its oceans,the nether worlds and the serpents therein and infact the entire universe. Wandering around insidethe divine body the sage could not find its endand in great joy and bewilderment prayed onceagain to Nilamadhava seeking to fathom the greatmystery of what he saw.

Sanctity of the sacred region

Mahalakshmi then elaborated upon thesanctity of this sacred region.Its area extends upto five krosas from the sea shore but out of thisthe portion within two krosas of the sea is mostsacred. It is covered by golden sands and theBlue Hill stands in its middle portion. In order toworship Jagannatha, Visvesvara Mahadeva whois indistinct from Narayana has himself made hisabode in one end of the sacred site and as theregion has limited the influence of Yama, Shivahere is known as Yameswara. Worshipping himhere bestows the benefits of worshippingKotilingeswara or ten million Shivas, anothername for Taribhubaneswara, the presiding deityof the Ekamra Kshetra. The entire region is shapedlike a giant conch and Shiva, the Lord riding theBull, known here as Nilakantha or the Lord withthe blue neck, resides at its head fulfilling all theprayers of his devotees. The area extending fromthe beach up to Kalpa Bata, the wish-fulfillingageless Banyan tree is the belly portion of the giantconch shaped land washed by the waters of thesacred ocean. Being attached to the most sacred

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site, the ocean here has acquired the sobriquet ofTeertharaja or the emperor among the teerthas.Death in this sacred site or a bath in the sea hereprovides instant emancipation and freedom fromthe cycle of birth and death. Shiva who hadsevered the fifth head of Brahma could not getrid of it until he reached here and was thus curedof the terrible sin of brahma hatya or the killingof Brahmana. He is therefore known in one of hismanifestations here as Kapalamochana. A prayerand Darshan of Kapalamochana reduces one’ssin of Brahma Hatya and death anywhere southof his manifestation bestows emancipation. In thethird circle surrounding the Blue Hill is manifestthe primordial Mother known as Bimala whobestows both prosperity and release from themortal existence. In the navel portion of the regionshaped as conch are the water tank called RohiniKunda and the holy banyan tree. Between theseand Kapalamochana is installed the mothergoddess manifest as Ardhasini. As she sucks inhalf of the entire rising waters of the great delugeduring apocalypse from her position inside theSankha Kshetra, the goddess has become famousas Ardhasini or Ardhashoshini. She too bestowsgreat benediction on those who visit her and prayto her.

Antarvedi and Nrusimha

The seat of the Supreme Divine is knownas Antarvedi and all in the three worlds hankerafter the Lord who is manifest here with the conchand the discus. This is superior to all the sacredsites as here one gets instant emancipation in theirmortal bodies. Mahalakshmi then describes thepresence of Nrusimha, the essential divinitymanifest in his terrible appearance rending theheart of the arrogant demon Hiranyakashipu. ADarshan of his auspicious countenance dissolvesall sins and bestows riches and release from mortalexistence.

Ashta Shakti, Ashta Shambhu

Mahalakshmi also tells sage Jaimini howshe herself is present in her eightfold manifestationsas Ashta Shakti in eight directions to protect thismost holy site. These deities named Mangala,Bimala, Sarbamangala, Kalratri, Marichika,Chandarupa, Ardhasini and Alambare present theenergy of the primordial mother and are truly heraspect as Gauri the spouse of Shiva. The latteralso known as Rudra too has his eightfoldmanifestations such as Kapalamochana,Yamesvara, Markandeya, Nilakantha, Batesvaraetc. within this sacred region.

Future Events, Indradyumna

Thereafter Mahalakshmi gives an indicationof the future events.A king named Indradyumnawould rule during the SatyaYuga. He wouldperform a thousand horse sacrifice in prayer tothe Divine who pleased with his devotee wouldappear in his foursome form made from a singlelog of wood. Visvakarma, the divine architect-builder would make these figures in wood. Thenaddressing Brahma, she said that he would beinstalling these divine figures after acceding to thesolicitations of Indradyumna. Soon Yama andBrahma returned to their own abodes.

The images made of wood

Addressing the assembly of sages Jaiminisaid that the Supreme Divine, the one with a visageblue as the dark clouds has assumed the body ofwood along with brother Balarama, sisterSubhadra and the celestial wheel Sudarshana andresides in the deep caverns of the Blue Hills toredeem the devotees with his infinite grace. Headded that he should not be considered just asfigures made of wood but the sacred woodimbued with essential divinity or Brahma andhence known as Daru Brahma who has been so

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referenced in the Vedas. Jaimini then exhorts thesages to seek shelter at the feet of the Lord of theBlue Hills. He the recounts the tale of Ambarishaand Pundarika two worldly mortals immersed insinful acts were advised by a Vaishnava toworship Sri Jagannath with the conch, discus,mace and lotus and having prayed to him theywere absolved of their sins by the grace of themost compassionate Lord made of wood andembellished with golden ornaments atPurushottama Kshetra. On the request of thesages Jaimini then described the sacred geographyof this Kshetra and the sanctity of the land ofUtkala. He emphasizes that the entire expanse ofland stretching from the land between the riversRishikulya from the point it meets the SouthernOcean till Subarnarekha with Mahanadi inbetween is the extent of Sri Purushottama Kshetrathat on account of its great sanctity and isconsidered verily as heaven on earth.

Indradyumna

The sages then urged Jaimini to tell themabout the great king Indradyumna. Respondingto their request, he said that Indradyumna wasthe fifth generation descendant progeny of thecreator Brahma himself. He was truthful, pious,virtuous loving his people like his own childrenand ruled with absolute fairness. He had alreadyperformed a thousand-horse sacrifice. The landwas prosperous and peaceful and his capital Avantiwas like a second Amaravati, the heavenly citywhere Indra ruled. He was a great Vishnu bhakta

who respected the ascetics, Brahmins, itinerantsages and pilgrims. Once in he asked the assemblyin his royal court if any one of them was aware ofthe manifestation of the supreme god Jagannathawhose very sight bestowed instant release frommortal existence.

A wandering ascetic present there,responding to the king’s enquiry, said that he hadindeed visited the site and stayed there in theserene sacred site for a year. Indicating its locationhe referred to Odradesha where along thesouthern sea, the Blue Mountain or Nilagiri stoodin the middle of Purushottama Kshetra. Densevegetation covered the area surrounding the hilland in its centre was the wish-fulfilling banyan tree,the Kalpa Bata, its branches spread one krosa

all around. Anyone who entered the shadow ofthe tree was absolved of even the heinous crimeof killing a Brahmin. Next to it was the RohiniKunda, the tank filled with primordial waters ofimmense sanctity. Vasudeva, the Supreme Godmade of blue precious stone had his earthly abodehere. Those fortunate ones who beheld God inthis most secret and sacred site got the benefitsof a Sahasra Ashwamedha Yagnya or a thousand-horse sacrifice. A hermitage called SabaraDeepaka was located at its one end and it wassurrounded by habitations of a tribe of huntersknown as Sabaras. A narrow foot path, justenough for a single person to pass through ledfrom here to the interiors of the Blue Mountainwhere Lord Vishnu had his abode and hadmanifested as Jagannatha. The gods from heavenvisited the Supreme Divine every night to offerworship. The old ascetic also spoke about thelegend that he had heard from the people thereabout the crow getting release from its avianexistence after taking a dip in the Rohini Kunda.So saying, he disappeared from the royal court.

The king, Indradyumna, felt restless andexpressed his eagerness to visit this sacred siteand have an audience of Jagannatha. He asked ifanyone could help him in locating the place sothat he could proceed there immediately. The headpriest of the royal court responded by saying that

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his brother Vidyapati would immediately proceedon a reconnaissance of the site and as soon as hereturned with the good news, the king could visitthe place.

Vidyapati visits the Blue Mountain

Vidyapati considered himself very fortunateto have got the opportunity and to have beengiven this sacred mission. Without any furtherdelay he prepared himself for the journey. Heselected an auspicious moment and commencedhis travel in a chariot after a ceremonial send off.After several days he reached the borders ofOdradesha and proceeded further. He rested fora while on the banks of Mahanadi and thencrossed over to enter the Ekamra Vana, the mostsacred forest that was home to a manifestation ofShiva. Proceeding further towards the SothernOcean, he became aware of a great peace andjoy that surcharged the environs. Anon he sightedfrom afar the Blue Mountain and was overjoyed,knowing that he was not far from his destination.He continued his journey in that direction andsoon reached the borders of the wooded foothillsof the sacred mountain. He tried in vain to find away to go forward towards the interiors of thehill. As he wondered how to cross the densevegetation and rough terrain surrounding the hill,he found near the Sabara Deepaka, an oldtribesman returning from inside the deep forestwith all the materials for worship. The old mandisclosed his identity as Visvavasu, the Sabarachief. He greeted Vidyapati who looked like anaristocratic Brahmin and asked him what he wasdoing in this remote region and about his welfareas he looked greatly tired and exhausted. Heoffered him a seat and some food and enquiredabout the purpose of his visit. Indradyumnadisclosed his identity and the reason for his visit.He requested Visvavasu to take him inside the

forest to so that he could have a Darshan of Vishnupresent there. He refused to accept any food ordrink till he completed his mission of locating themanifestation of the supreme god inside the BlueMountain.

On hearing Vidyapati Visvavasu was ingreat dilemma. On the one hand the deity wasindeed the protector of his tribe and wasworshipped in secret and if he showed him toVidyapati, his presence would be revealed to theentire world. On the other hand, not doing sowould make the Brahmin priest unhappy and hemight curse him and his tribe and moreover hebeing a guest, one had to fulfil his request. So hehad a grave crisis of conscience and did not knowhow to resolve this knotty problem. As he wasmulling over the issue he remembered the popularbelief among his people that once Nilamadhavadisappeared underneath the surface of the earth,a valiant king named Indradyumna would arrivehere with his people and perform a thousand-horse sacrifice. He would proceed in his mortalframe to the Brahma Loka, the world of thesupreme divine and in due course wouldceremonially install here the foursomemanifestation of Vishnu in bodies of wood. Ifindeed the Brahmin seeking the Lord was thefortunate one facilitating this event to happen, theLord would definitely reveal himself again afterhis disappearance. So thinking he decided thathe would let Vidyapati see Achyuta made ofprecious blue stone. Since this seemed to havebeen decreed by divine dispensation, it wasbeyond the limits of human abilities to resist whatwas bound to happen.

Visvavasu then told Vidyapati that he hadalready heard of popular belief that king namedIndradyumna would come and set up hisresidence here. Since you will get to see

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Nilamadhava before him, you are indeed morefortunate than your king. Let us now proceedfurther. So saying he led Vidyapati by hand throughthe narrow dark path overgrown with thorns andrough stones and barely adequate for one personto pass through. Soon he led the priest to theRohini Kunda and exhorted him to seeJagannatha, verily the essential divinity presentdeep inside a leafy arbour. O fortunate one,behold the Lord and be absolved of all youraccumulated sins and do not grieve any more ofyour worldly existence.Vidyapati took a dip inthe Rohini Kunda and full of joy he hadthe audience of Hari from a distance.Completely oblivious of all the fatigue ofjourney, hunger and thirst he sang thepraise of Jagannatha with folded hands.The divine sight filled him with ineffableecstasy and he felt blessed. Visvavasuthen held his hand and gently led him outof the Blue Hill to his own abode in thevillage of the Sabara tribe. There heoffered to his guest a variety of fruits,sweets and cooked food, such as hadnever been seen by Vidyapati. The latterwondered how a hunter living in deepforest could prepare such sumptuous fareand gently asked his host to unravel the mysteryof this royal feast. Visvavasu explained that theseitems were actually offered by the gods toPurushottama when they made their daily visit tothe abode of the Lord in the Blue Hill. Vidyapatiwas awe-struck by the great good fortune of thetribal family who were partaking the divine foodofferings daily at this remote corner of the earth.He then expressed his desire to be a friend ofVisvavasu.

Vidyapati also indicated that his kingIndradyumna would visit the Blue Hill and residehere for worshipping the Lord and he would need

to make elaborate arrangements for the same.After going back to Avanti I would mention tothe king the suitability of this site for his needs.Visvavasu again told about the old belief amonghis people about the visit of Indradyumna to theBlue Hill and that he would not be able seeMadhava on his arrival there as the Lord by thenwould have been covered by golden sands. TheLord has promised Yama that he would disappearfrom view and therefore Indradyumna cannot seehim here. Do not however under any circumstancereveal this prophecy to the king my friend, said

Visvavasu to Vidyapati. You are the fortunate onewho could get to see the Lord with your mortaleyes, he added. As the king cannot find Madhava,he would perform great penance and sacrifice.The Lord will instruct him through his dream andeventually Brahma will install the images made ofwood and the king would worship the same. Aslong as the Lord resides here our progeny willlive on. Saying so, Visvavasu requested Vidyapatito take rest for the night. The following morningafter performing his morning rituals with a bath inMahodadhi, the great ocean, Vidyapati along withVisvavasu again visited the abode of Madhava.

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After they prayed to Nilamadhava and sanghymns and mantras in his praise, Visvavasu gaveVidyapati a garland already offered to the Lordin worship. Accepting this Nirmalya Mala, thedivine garland, Vidyapati hugged his friend, thetribal chief Visvavasu and after bidding farewellto him, he climbed his chariot and left for Avanti.

After Vidyapati left when the gods visitedthe Blue Mountain in the evening for their dailyworship of Madhava, suddenly the wind startedblowing with a fierce force and they could notkeep their eyes open. The golden sands startedspreading all around with great rapidity and anonthe entire area was covered completely. After thestorm abated when the Gods opened their eyes,they could no longer see Madhava or the RohiniKunda. The gods felt greatly distressed. Theycursed their fate and loudly lamented thedisappearance of Madhava from their sight. Justthen they heard a voice from the sky that fromthat day the Lord would no more be visible herebut the sanctity of the site was such that if anyoneprayed to the Lord here he would surely bereleased from the cycle of birth and death. Thevoice further exhorted them to proceed to Brahmaand pray to him if they were desirous of fathomingthe mysterious turn of events. As directed by theheavenly voice, the gods proceeded to Brahmawho told them about the Lord’spromise to himand the later manifestation of the Lord in bodiesof wood. Having heard this divine message theyall went to their own abodes.

Vidyapati having left the Blue Hill decidedto go round the Purushottama Kshetra incircumambulation of all the important sacred sites.Having completed the same, he proceeded onhis way home. As he neared the capital city ofAvanti, messengers carried the news of his arrivalto the king. As he arrived at the gates of the palace,

Indradyumna himself came forward to receive himand led him inside the royal court that was insession. After honouring him suitably the kingrequested him to take his seat. Vidyapati offeredto the king the Nirmalya Mala of Madhava.Indradyumna received the divine garland withgreat humility and felt himself blessed and fulfilledwith the touch of this garland as if he was inproximity to the Lord himself. He then offered hisprayers to Madhava and requested Vidyapati todescribe the experience of his visit toPurushottama Kshetra.

Vidyapati recounts his visit to Indradyumna

Vidyapati then recounted the joyousexperience of his journey to the PurushottamaKshetra and the Blue Mountains. He describedhow the seat of the Lord spread over an area fivekrosas in all directions was surrounded by densevegetation with the Blue Hill in its centre like itsnavel with the Teertharaja, the southern seaswashing its border on the east formed by thegolden sands on the beach. He mentioned theKalpa Bata, the wish fulfilling banyan tree spreadover one krosa all around and the Rohini Kundanext to it. Close by was a platform made ofprecious stones covered by the branches of theNygrodha tree. Atop this bejewelled platform wasinstalled the blue bodied four-armed Madhavabearing the conch, the wheel, the mace and thelotus. With a height of eighty one cubits he wasstanding on a golden lotus and was protected atthe back by the fully extended hood of the divineserpent Ananta spread like a large umbrella. Abeautiful flower garland adorned his wide chestthat sported the Kaustubha jewel reflecting all thefourteen worlds. Mother Lakshmi with a lotus inher hand was on his left in close embrace. Themost enchanting visage of Madhava attractedimmediate attention and held captive the heart of

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the beholder spontaneously pulled towards thedivine presence. He declared that any onebeholding the most enchanting blue image ofVishnu would be released from the mortalexistence and would reside in his heavenly abode.Vidyapati narrated his journey and his audienceof Nilamadhava in considerable detail and herequested the king to take further action as hedeemed fit.

Enter sage Narada and his advice to

Indradyumna

Indradyumna declared his desire to shift toPurushottama Kshetra with his entire people andbuild a new city and fort and reside there so thathe could offer daily worship to Sripati, the spouseof Sri or Mahalakshmi. Right then MaharshiNarada, the son of Brahma arrived in the courtall of a sudden. Indradyumna got up from his seatand received Narada with utmost respect. Aftergreeting him appropriately, he offered him a seaton a throne very next to his own and enquiredabout his welfare. Narada in return praised thevirtuous king whose reputation had travelledacross the three worlds. He then explained thevarious nuances of devotion to Vishnu.Indradyumna revealed his intense desire to beholdNilamadhava and invited Narada to join him inthe chariot to proceed to the Blue Mountain withinthe Purushottama Kshetra. Narada was greatlypleased to hear the resolve of the king and offeredto take him there and show him all the sacredplaces including the manifestations of Shakti andShambhu. He added that pleased with thedevotion of the King the supreme god wouldreside there in a foursome appearance.

Indradyumna visits the Blue Mountain

After selecting an auspicious day the kingwith all his courtiers, priests, soldiers, people ofvarious vocations and other citizens, started the

journey full of pomp and ceremony as befitting aroyal personage. After travelling for several dayshe reached the borders of Utkala wherein themother goddess with a garland of heads wasmanifest as Charchika. On the advice of Narada,the king disembarked from the chariot andprostrated before the mother goddess. Heworshipped her and sought her blessings to enablehim to get an audience of the supreme god residingin the blue region. He then proceeded further andhalted for the evening on the banks of ChitrotpalaMahanadi inside the deep forests. After completinghis evening ablutions and prayers, he finished hisdinner and spent some time enjoying danceperformances. He then heard Narada explain thenature and benefits of Vishnu Bhakti. Just at thattime a messenger informed him that the King ofUtkala had arrived there to greet him.Indradyumna immediately got up from his seatand went up to the entrance of his camp to receivethe king. After usual exchange of greetingsIndradyumna enquired about Nilamadhava. TheUtkala king responded by saying that he had heardabout the Nilachala Kshetra located on the shoresof the southern seas and that it was covered bydense forest. Ordinary people have no ability toenter there and even gods found it difficult toaccess this site, he added. He then mentionedrumours about the entire area having beencovered by sands on account of a cyclonic storm.His own people were also facing severe droughtand epidemics. He hoped that the arrival of a piousking like Indradyumna certainly meant that goodtimes would return soon. After sometime the kingof Utkala took farewell and returned. On hisdeparture, Indradyumna expressed hisapprehensions about the success of his missionto Purushottama Kshetra. Narada consoled theking and told him not to worry. He assured thatthe king would definitely behold with his mortal

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eyes the supreme god. He added that PrajapatiBrahma, the creator had engaged him to assistthe king in his mission and that after they arrivedin the Purushottama Kshetra, he would narratemore about this. Indradyumna felt relieved andreposing faith in the grace of the supreme lord heretired for the night.

The next morning Indradyumna crossed theMahanadi and led by the king of Udradeshaproceeded further. Soon he reached the EkamraKshetra and crossing the river Gandhabati,around the time of the midday worship he reachedthe temple of Kotilingeswara, another name ofTribhubaneswara Lingaraja. The king also heardthe sound of trumpets, gongs, drums, conches andother musical instruments played duringceremonial worship of deities and assumed thatthey were in close proximity of the Blue Mountain.Narada explained that his destination was stillsome distance away and in any case the Enemyof Mura or Vishnu there was manifest in a verysecret location. It was almost three yojanas farfrom their present location. He added that thesound he heard was from the Ekamra Kanana,the abode of Shiva. He then narrated aninteresting episode about Shiva who had granteda boon to the king of Kasi or Varanasi to enablehim to defeat Krishna-Vishnu. This boon howeverdid not work because the Pasupata Astra of Shivabecame ineffectual before the Sudarshana Chakra,the celestial wheel of Vishnu. Shiva was repentantand full of remorse, he prayed to Purushottamawho told him about the great sanctity of his ownKshetra on the shores of the southern sea. Healso told him that he had made his abode there inthe foursome appearance made of precious Bluestone. Shiva prayed to Nilamadhava to becomethe protector of his home in the PurushottamaKshetra and was granted his wish. Indradyumnafelt blessed to have heard the sacred story of the

mysterious ways of Vishnu and his maya orcosmic illusion. Along with Narada Indradyumnacompleted his ablutions in the Bindu Sarovara andbeheld Purushottama in a temple on its banks andthen proceeded near Kotilingeswara. He offeredMahasnana or the great ceremonial bath toTribhubaneswara and worshipped him.Kotilingeswara assured the king that his missionwould be successful and told him that he, Shiva ispresent at the end of the Sankha Kshetra asNilakantha. He revealed to the king that the bluebodied Vishnu had already disappeared fromview. He advised the king to prepare the arenafor worship of Nrusimha and conduct thethousand-horse sacrifice there. There you wouldfind the ethereal divine tree from which the divinearchitect Visvakarma would prepare the fourstatues, he said. I will surely be present when thedeities would be ceremonially installed byBrahma, he added. So saying Shiva himselfvanished. So assured by Shiva, the king thencontinued his journey further. On his way the kingand his entourage worshipped Kapoteswara andBilweswara and constantly chanting the name ofVishnu residing in the Nilachala hills, they movedon towards their destination. Jaimini thenrecounted the background of the episode relatingto Shiva because of which his manifestations hadthe name of Kapoteswara and Bilweswara.

As per the advice of Kotilingeswara,Indradyumna reached the limits of thePurushottama Kshetra and arrived at the templeof Nilakantha. The king saw some omensforetelling some evil or misfortune. On his beingagitated, Narada reassured him that all greatdeeds were fraught with obstacles and he neednot worry on this account. He then disclosed thatthis Kshetra was like the body of Vishnu himselfand the king being extremely virtuous would surely

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succeed in his mission. However, the blue-bodiedmanifestation of the supreme god for whom hehad travelled so far had disappeared Naradaadded. On hearing this terrible news the kingfainted and fell on the ground. After much efforthe could be revived. The king made loudlamentations and bemoaned his misfortune. Hecried aloud to the supreme lord to pardon himfor any omission on his part on account of whichthis happened. Narada consoled the king and toldhim about the unfathomable cosmic illusion createdby Narayana and further added that thisdisappearance of Vishnu had already beenforetold by Brahma to him. Brahma had in factassured that in due course, after the kingcompleted the thousand-horse sacrifice, he himselfwould persuade the supreme lord to come fromthe Shweta Dvipa. At that time he would manifesthere in his foursome appearance in figures madeof wood in place of the images made of preciousstones. Saying these words Narada suggested thatthey should start preparations for the sacrifice.

Led by Narada the king and his followersreached the top of the Blue Mountain. There theywere met by a strange and unexpected site. Underthe shade of a Dark Agaru plant was manifest thedispeller of all fear, Nrusimha, in the man-lionform, the primordial form of Vishnu whose sightinstantly dissolves the heinous sin of Brahma Hatyabearing his fierce aspect. Looking terrible he hadgolden mane like matted hair overflowing his face.He had on his lap the demon (Hiranyakashipu)whose heart the Lord was seen rending with hissharp nails hard as thunderbolt. He had a reddishbrown body with a golden glow.Wearing a shiningcrown, wielding the conch and the wheel in hishands and with his outstretched tongue, he wasseen making loud deafening laughter. The eyesemitting sparks flying in all directions, he had struckthe ground with a fierce force pushing the very

earth downwards. Keeping Narada in front allbowed down before the primordial form ofVishnu from a distance. The king thanked Naradaagain and again for the great fortune of beholdingthe rare site of the supreme divine in this man-lionform. He also felt somewhat relieved that ultimatelyhis mission of visiting the Purushottama Kshetrawould be successful. He offered his prayers againto Nrusimha prostrating before him with greathumility.

Worship of Nrusimha and performance of

Aswamedha Yagnya

On the advice of Narada the king and hisfollowers then proceeded to the site whereNilakantha was worshipped. There they foundthe son of Visvakarma with his tools andequipment and ready to start work. Anon he madea beautiful temple facing west in that site. Naradasoon brought Nrusimha in a chariot near the newtemple built for him. This time however Nrusimhawas manifest in his pleasant aspect and delightedthe beholders by his benign presence. In duecourse Nrusimha was installed in this temple andeveryone paid their obeisance to the primordialmanifestation of Vishnu and started worshippinghim.

Having installed Nrusimha, the king thenstarted preparing the site for the thousand-horsesacrifice. He built a suitable platform for sacrifice.He invited Indra, the king of heaven,all the gods,the mortal kings from all over, the sages andascetics and several Brahmins. He providedsuitable facilities for all of them. He made royalarrangements for their comfortable stay andarranged sumptuous feasts for all. With greathumility he sought their consent to start theAswamedha Yagnya so that as foretold,Madhavawould reappear and reside again in the BlueMountain. Indra and all those present commended

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the pious act of the king and assured him theirhelp and cooperation in this noble task. The kingwith the help of the priests started the sacrificefollowing prescribed rituals and released the horseduly sanctified in the fire sacrifice ceremony. Thefire sacrifice proceeded without any obstacle andsoon the time for releasing the thousandth horsein the sacrifice arrived.

Just before that the king, during hismeditation, had a vision of the supreme god inthe Shweta Dvipa residing in the ocean of milk,protected by the thousand hoods of the serpentAnanta and Brahma standing on his side withfolded hands. There he found a bejewelled throneand atop it the blue bodied lord bedecked with agarland of forest flowers and holding conch,wheel, mace and lotus. Also on his right side wasLakshmi in a benedictory posture. The kingoffered his prayers to Vishnu and sang his praisein many words. Having seen the supreme lord inhis dream early in the morning, the king describedthis to Narada.

Appearance of the sacred tree and making

of the images

As the main sacrifice of the AswamedhaYagnya neared completion, preparations weremade for the purificatory bath or Ababhruta Snananear the temple of Bilweswara on the shores ofthe southern ocean. Just then some of the personsengaged for this supplementary ceremony noticeda divine tree floating in the sea. Reporting this toIndradyumna they said that a great tree wasfloating close to the great ocean, its top on theseaside and the roots facing the shores. The entiretree was crimson coloured and has the marks ofconch and wheel on it. Such a tree has never beenseen before, O king, they added. Its halo brightas the sun itself has lit up the surroundings and itssweet fragrance has permeated the entire beach.

This is surely a divine tree or some divine beingcome here in shape of a tree, they said.

The king was greatly excited and askedNarada about this unusual tree and how it hadarrived there. Narada advised the king to offerPurnahuti or the final oblations of the sacrifice.He added that the Lord whom the king had seenin his dream had manifested as the sacred divinetree having created this from a hair fallen from hisdivine body. It is your great fortune to behold thisother worldly tree. After completing the AbabhrutaSnana, do install the divine tree, the verymanifestation of the Yagnya Purusha or thepresiding deity of this great sacrifice, on a specialplatform.

The King soon proceeded to the shorewhere the sacred tree had been sighted along withthose present in the sacrifice arena. He saw thedivine tree with four branches similar to the fourarmed Jagannath he had seen in his dream. Hefelt greatly fulfilled and blessed on appearance ofthe tree and got over his grief on account of thedisappearance of Madhava from the BlueMountain. The beach soon resounded with thesound of auspicious music, singing of mantras

and hymns and all present there hailed the divinepresence with full throated singing of the lord’sname in chorus. The king arranged to bring thedivine tree ashore and it was carried in a grandprocession to the platform near the site of the greatsacrifice and ceremoniously installed there. As theking was wondering how the figures of Madhavawould be made from this tree, he heard a divinevoice that the lord was unlike anything in this worldand beyond comprehension of humans. Thereforethe king need not worry at all as the lord will wouldsecretly manifest himself. The voice added thatan old craftsman who was already present in thatassembly with his tools would carve the images

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of the deities. The voice added, please let himenter the chamber for preparing the images andclose the door. Make loud auspicious soundsoutside this chamber so that none can hear whatis going inside, the voice instructed. When the kinglooked around the old craftsman-carpentersuddenly appeared before him and assured thathe would indeed prepare the images of the deitiesin the same form the king had seen in his dream.So saying he disappeared into the special chambermade for the preparation of the divine figures.

Jaimini then narrated the events to theassembly of sages in the following words. Anonvarious auspicious signs of the divine presencewere heard and seen. The heavenly flower Parijatarained from the skies along with waters of theGanga, sweet divine music filled the ears and thepresence of Airabata, the celestial elephant couldbe felt. All the immortals who had assembled forthe great sacrifice started worshipping Hari as theyhad done in the Blue Mountain. As fifteen dayspassed the supreme god himself made his ownimages in four figures and revealed himself asJanardana, Balarama, Subhadra and Sudarshana.While Janardana had the conch, wheel, mace andlotus in his four arms, Ananta manifest as Balaramahad mace, pestle, wheel and bolt in his hand andwas in addition covered by the umbrella like sevenshining hoods. Subhadra of beauteouscountenance held lotus in one hand while her otherhand was in the benedictory posture.Mahalakshmi herself had appeared in this formand was none other than the divine mother whoduring the manifestation of Krishna had been bornof Rohini. On the appearance of these four figures,a heavenly voice exhorted the king to firmly coverthe four images with silken cloth and paint themwith different colours. Vishnu should be painteddark blue, while Balaram should be painted

conch-white, Sudarshana in the colour of bloodand Subhadra in glowing saffron. Indradyumnabeheld the heavenly sight of the manifestation ofthe divine in the figures of wood. He wasovercome with ecstasy and his voice choked. Heenjoyed the sight with half-closed eyes and againand again offered his salutations to lord of theuniverse. Narada encouraged the king to have aneyeful of this ineffable sight and gently asked himto sing the glory of the lord. Indradyumna praisedthe supreme divine for his bounteous compassionand his infinite grace in blessing him with hispresence in this Purushottama Kshetra and sangmany hymns and recited many mantras hailingthe glory of the Lord. Narada and all the earthlykings, sages and Brahmins too joined the king insinging the praise of Jagannatha, Balabhadra,Subhadra and Sudarshana with appropriateinvocations and chanted special incantations foreach of them.

Origin of Indradyumna tank

Jaimini then described the origin of theIndradyumna tank. The king had presentedhundreds of thousands of cows suitably adornedwith various ornaments to the Brahmins presentin the sacrifice. The hoof marks of these cowscreated a huge crater and the water spilled duringthe ceremonial donations filled it making it into ahuge lake. On account of the holy deed of thegreat sacrifice that resulted in the formation of thislake its waters acquired untold sanctity and thelake became a great teertha. It got identified withthe name of the great king, Indradyumna whoconducted this sacrifice.

Construction of the new temple

Indradyumna bade farewell to the variouscraftsmen and workers and their supervisors aftermaking handsome payments and to the assembled

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guests after offering them suitable gifts. Soon theking started worrying about building a suitabletemple for the foursome manifestation of thesupreme divine. He ordered stones and otherbuilding materials for this new temple and declaredhis resolve to spend all the wealth he had earnedas a king throughout his life for constructing asuitable abode for the supreme divine manifestthere.

Just then a scholarly Brahmin well versedin the Vedas and Vedanta appeared before theking and explained that the sacred log that hadbeen found floating in the ocean was not relatedto the humans. On account of your great devotiononly the supreme has appeared in the form ofwood and taken the foursome appearance, hesaid. Narada added that this manifestation of thedivine was no different from what has beenmentioned in the Upanishads and was famouseven earlier in the Vedas. They were capable ofgranting instant emancipation at their very sight.Now that the divine has manifested I will nowproceed to the heavens and invite Brahma for theirformal installation, he added and exhorted the kingto complete building the temple in the meantime.The king expressed his desire to accompanyNarada on this mission and requested him to waituntil the Garbha Gruha or the sanctum sanctorumwas completed and dedicated. The king tookkeen interest in the expediting this work and soonthe sanctum could be completed and dedicated.He also took suitable steps to ensure that the talltemple was protected from lightning and otherdisasters and completed the nyasa ceremony bysealing inside the top portion various itemsincluding precious stones and jewels as prescribedin the canons of temple building. The temple hada soaring spire and was a gorgeous structure thelike of which had not been seen anywhere in the

three worlds. Even the gods and the immortalspraised it in many words. The king then offeredhis respects to Narada prostrating before him andpraying for the everlasting glory of this abode forthe supreme divine built by him. Narada assuredhim that Jagannatha was pleased only with pureand unalloyed devotion and the king shouldcontinue to pray to the lord with all sincerity andarrange for his worship in a befitting manner. Hethen invited the king to accompany him to proceedto Brahma Loka, the abode of Brahma in heaven.

Indradyumna and Narada invite Brahma

Narada and Indradyumna made acircumambulation of the lord and sought hispermission to proceed to Brahma Loka. Theythen climbed the chariot of Narada and movedheavenward. Within no time they crossed theworld of the Sun and the stars including the polestar known as Dhruba Mandala and reached thegates of Brahma’s abode. They found many godsand other heavenly beings already waiting for anaudience of Brahma. Seeing Narada, the son ofBrahma they greeted him and let him enter theinner chamber where Brahma was present.However, Indradyumna was asked to tarry a whiletill they received the permission to admit himinside. After greeting his father and the creator,Narada informed him of the visit of the king andreceived an indication that he could enter inside.As Indradyumna went inside, the other heavenlybeings waiting outside were somewhat surprised.So was the sage Durvasa who could enter straightinto the presence of Brahma. On his interventionBrahma let the gods and others also enter inside.Just then the king after paying obeisance toBrahma had made a request to him to come toearth and preside over the ceremony of dedicatingthe new temple for Jagannatha and for ceremonialinstallation of the deities. Brahma replied with a

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smile and informed the king that much time hadelapsed since the king had left earth. None of thedescendants of the king were alive now, thekingdom itself was no more in existence andmillions of kings had ruled on earth and hadperished since the king left the earth. Nothing thatyou had seen is in existence except the supremedivine and the temple you had built for him,headded. In fact many aeons have lapsed andcurrently the early part of the period of secondManu Svarochisha is in progress, said the creator.So 'O' king return to earth and secure the deityand the temple. I will follow you and reach thesite soon.

Brahma then turned his attention to theassembled gods and other heavenly persons andenquired of them the purpose of their visit.Gathering courage the gods asked Brahma aboutthe disappearance of the blue-bodiedmanifestation of the supreme god and why he hadsince manifested himself in bodies of wood.Brahma replied, O gods, this is a cosmic mysterythat I have not revealed before anyone till now.However I am now going to tell this most secretaffair of the supreme lord. Earlier Janardana, thesupreme divine in his blue-bodied form had stayedfor one parardha, equivalent of several billionhuman years. After that now in the early part ofSveta Baraha Kalpa during the time ofSwayambhuva Manu, he has manifested himselfmade of wood on the earth. He will remain in thisform till the end of my present existence.He isnone else than Purushottama who is eternallypresent in the Dvipa and shows great reverenceto Yoganidra. The sacred tree with the signs ofthe conch and wheel is but a strand of hair fromnear his navel. Earlier when I was fatigued aftercompleting a cycle of creation, I had prayed tothe supreme Lord to relieve me from bearing thisburden again and again. Taking compassion on

me he has taken the form of wood to relieve theentire creation and to provide succour to all.Addressing the gods again, Brahma asked themto proceed to earth and assist the king who wasnow without his kingdom, his men and wealth sothat he could finish the incomplete task of installingthe deities in the new temple. Brahma added thatthe king would also find it difficult to even establishhis claim of having built the new temple.

Having heard the words of Brahma, theking offered his prayers to Jagannatha and hailedhis infinite grace and compassion. The gods toojoined him in praising the supreme divine in manywords. In sometime the king and the godsproceeded to earth and reached the arena ofNrusimha in Purushottama Kshetra. All then withfolded hands prayed to the man-lion manifestationof Jagannatha. They then proceeded along withPadmanidhi to the foothills of the Blue Mountainto prepare for the dedication ceremony of thetemple and rituals for installing the deities madeof wood. They found that the spire of the templesoared towards the sky in its regal majesty. Theking who had only seen the temple when only apart of it had been completed was taken bysurprise as it went beyond all his imagination andexpectations. He asked the assembled gods andheavenly beings to indicate the various itemsrequired for the dedication and installationceremonies. Even the gods found themselvesunequal to this task as such a temple had neverbeen made before.

Installation of the deities

Just then Narada arrived in the scene andall of them looked up to him for guidance. Naradathen gave a list of required accessories andaccoutrements for this grand ceremony. Headvised Padmanidhi to prepare a grand shed witha golden platform for conducting the dedication

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and installation rituals. He also advised to preparesuitable accommodation for various guests likegods, heavenly beings, kings, ascetics, sages andother mortals. Brahma also advised them to makethree chariots for transporting the foursome figuresin wood from the Nrusimha Kshetra to the templein the Blue Mountain. He then gave detailedinstructions regarding the chariots of Jagannatha,Balabhadra and Subhadra. Made with sixteen,fourteen and twelve wheels these were to becolourfully decorated and embellished withornaments and flowers. A formal installationceremony including a fire sacrifice was to beconducted for each of the chariots before thesecould receive their divine passengers and beforecommencing their journey. Brahmins, Kshatriyasand Vaishyas would carry the deities on to thechariots to the accompaniment of recitation ofhymns from the Vedas, singing of auspiciousincantations and playing of many musicalinstruments befitting this grand occasion. Thechariots are to be pulled by horses, bullocks ordedicated devout men along flat land withoutuneven patches, he added. So guided by Naradathe images of the supreme divine were brought tothe new temple in specially made chariots.

At that time a king named Gala was rulingon earth. He had earlier installed an image ofMadhava in this temple and was worshippinghim with appropriate rituals. Finding thisIndradyumna removed the image of Madhava toa small temple and installed him there. Havingheard this from a messenger Gala became angryand rushed there with his soldiers and others ingreat haste with the intention of fighting the intruderand restoring the Madhava image inside thetemple. However on reaching the Blue Mountainand seeing the grand heavenly arrangements, herealized that Indradyumna was no ordinary king.

There having learnt that to install the deities madeof wood he had come from Brahma Loka andthat Brahma himself would preside over theceremonies, he was chastened. He decided toassist Indradyumna in every possible way and alsoto follow his footsteps in organizing many festivalsfor the deities every year as well as take theresponsibilities for continuing the worship in thetemple and maintain it in a befitting manner. Hehoped that Indradyumna would surely grant himthe permission to do so. So he came nearIndradyumna and greeted him with great humilityand offered to assist him in his noble work in everypossible manner. Indradyumna was happy to learnof his desire and from his side asked him to takecharge of continuing the worship of the deitiesafter his own departure to Brahma Loka. Galathen enthusiastically arranged for all therequirements of the sacred ceremonies. In a shorttime all could see an unusually bright halo rushingtowards the earth from the skies and soonBrahma looking radiant in a carriage borne bysnow-white swans arrived in the scene. He wasreceived near the bimana by which he haddescended from heaven. Indradyumna and allassembled at the site greeted him with foldedhands and greeted him with utmost respect andoffered salutations to the creator. Brahma thenproceeded near the chariot of Jagannatha and aftercompleting a circumambulation, he prayed to thesupreme divine with appropriate hymns, mantraand incantations. He then repeated the same ritualaround the chariot of Balabhadra. At last he wentround the chariot of Subhadra and offered prayersto the divine mother as well as the celestial wheelSudarshana seated therein.

Brahma was then led to the platform wherepreparations had been made for the dedicationand installation ceremonies. He was seated in a

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special throne with a footrest. Then as perdirections of the creator the king ceremoniallychose, invited and honoured Bharadvaja, a greatrishi, to perform various rituals connected withthe ceremonies. Accepting the request of the kingthe sage Bharadvaja completed the preliminaryrituals and requested Brahma to take up the mainceremonies relating to the dedication of the templeand the installation of the deities therein aftercompleting the ritual breathing of life to the figuresmade of wood.

At last Brahma got up to conduct the finalrituals of this sacred event. The air was soon filledwith the sweet sound of auspicious songs sungby the gandharvas, the heavenly apsaras starteddancing in joy and the sound of other worldlymusic made with conch, trumpet, drums and fluteetc. resounded in all directions. Brahma along withthe gods gently brought down the figure ofNarayana from the chariot holding his two sides,his arms, his feet and supporting his head whileresting him from time to time on soft cushions.The assembled sages and ascetics sang hymns inpraise of Jagannatha. Similarly Balabhadra,Subhadra and Sudarshana were also broughtdown from the chariots. Fragrant water sanctifiedwith mantras was used for symbolic ablution ofthe deities through their reflections in mirrors.Brahma adorned the deities with variousornaments made of precious stones and colourfulgarlands of sweet scented flowers and aftercompleting the prescribed rituals installed themon the bejewelled platform. In a short while thedeities together took the appearance of Nrusimha,the man-lion manifestation of the supreme god inhis fiercest form. All present were terrified andcould not understand the reason for the same.Brahma then explained that only those who arefortunate are able to behold the primordial form

of the supreme lord. Moreover the lord of theuniverse, Jagannatha also wanted everyone tounderstand that though he had taken themanifestation in four figures made of wood noone should mistake this for anything other thanthe essential divine appearing on the earth out ofhis infinite compassion for his devotees and toprovide succour to them in their mortal existence.He and Indradyumna again prayed to Nrusimhawith many hymns and mantras and asmysteriously as the lord had taken his fierce formso only in a few moments he assumed his pleasantaspect and again became visible in his foursomeappearance. The devotees who behold themanifestation of the divine in this body made ofwood are released from their mortal life and thecycle of birth and rebirth.

Brahma then duly worshipped the fourfigures of wood installed on the bejewelled throne.He prayed to Baladeva in the mantra of twelvesyllables, Narayana with the mantra of PurushaSukta, Subhadra with the Devi Sukta andSudarshana with his mantra of twelve syllables.Brahma then beseeched the installed deities tobless Indradyumna. Pleased with his prayersJagannath, even in his manifestation in wood,gently smiled and spoke thus in a grave tone.Addressing Indradyumna, the divine image toldthat he was pleased with the deeds he hadperformed without any desire for any rewards andthat the king was indeed very fortunate to do so.Igrant you the boon of always harbouring in yourheart unwavering devotion towards me for ever.I will never abandon this site even if the temple isdamaged or if ever some other person establishesanother temple in this location. Even then such atemple will be only considered your achievement.I do declare this to be true again and again. Evenif the present temple is completely destroyed Iwill remain in this body of wood here till the

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completion of the second half of the term ofPadma Yoni, Brahma.

Birthday of Jagannath and his festivals

Jagannath then declared that he hadappeared in the present form on the full moonday of Jyestha in the summer of the first year ofthe second four yugas of Svayambhuba Manu’sterm. Thus this is to be considered as his birthday.Jagannath then gave detailed instructions aboutcelebrating his birthday with a ceremonial bathon a special platform and taking him back insidethe temple thereafter. He also advised him tocelebrate the Gundicha Festival. This was to becelebrated by carrying him along with Rama(Balarama) and Bhadra (Subhadra) to theGundicha Mandapa where they would stay forseven days. On account of the performance ofthe Aswamedha Yagnya performed by you thatplace with the Mahavedi near the NrusimhaKshetra is equally dear to me as the Blue Hill.Jagannath then indicated the great sanctity of thiskshetra that bestowed great benediction ondevotees fortunate to get his audience there. Afterso saying and blessing everyone, Jagannath thenassumed his silent appearance once more. Sage

Jaimini then described the twelve major festivalsof Jagannath to be celebrated round the yearincluding complete details of the Ratha Yatraceremony. Indradyumna followed theseprescribed rituals and celebrated all these festivalswith great sincerity and piety.

Indradyumna leaves for Brahma Loka

assigning Sveta Raja the worship of

Jagannath

In due course Indradyumna asked SvetaRaja, the then ruler on earth, to note the details ofthese festivals. He advised him to perform thesefestivals with due care and attention. He explainedthat Jagannath in his appearance in the form ofwood was none other than the supreme divinityand was the fulfiller of every wish like the KalpaVrikshya. Do worship Nrusimha in this form andavail nirvana in time. Sveta Raja accepted theresponsibility with great humility. Indradyumnathen offered his prayers to Purushottama andproceeded to Brahma Loka with sage Narada.

Dr. Subas Pani, former Chief Secretary, Odisha.

Narayana Basudeva Vesha of deities at Keonjhar

The Legend of the Origin of Sri Jagannatha and His Temple

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